Aligned Documentation System

Under Aligned Documentation System, different forms used in the International trade transaction are printed on the paper of the same size and in such way that the common items of information are given the same relative slots in each of the documents.

ADS has been classified as under:

• Commercial Documents: Commercial documents are required for effecting physical transfer of goods and their title from the exporter to the importer and the realization of export sale proceeds.

• Out of 16 commercial documents 14 have been standardized and aligned to one another.

• They are Proforma Invoice, commercial invoice, packing list, shipping instructions, intimation for inspection, certificate of inspection of quality control, insurance declaration, certificate of insurance, mate’s receipt, bill of lading or combined transport document, application for certificate origin, certificate of origin, shipment advice and letter to the bank for collection or negotiation of documents.

• Regulatory Documents: Regulatory pre-shipment exports documents are prescribed the different government departments and bodies in order to comply with various rules and regulations under the relevant laws governing export trade.

Such as export inspection, foreign exchange regulation, export trade control, customs, etc.

• Out of 9 regulatory documents 4 have been standardized and aligned. These are shipping bills or bill of export, exchange control declaration (GR Form), export application dock challan or port trust copy of shipping bill and receipt for payment of port charges.

Proforma Invoice

• The starting point of the export contract is in the form of offer made by the exporter to the foreign customer. The offer made by the exporter is in the form of proforma invoice. It is a quotation given as a reply to an inquiry.

• Importance:

1. It forms the basis of all trade transactions.

2. It may be useful for the importer in obtaining import license or foreign exchange.

Commercial Invoice• Commercial invoice is an important and basic export document. It is also

known as ‘Documents of contents’ as it contains all the information required for the preparation of the other documents.

• It is prepare by the exporter after the execution of export order giving details about the goods shipped. It is essential that the invoice is prepared in the name of the buyer or the consignee mentioned in the letter of credit.

• It is a prima facie evidence of the contract of sale or purchase and therefore, must be prepared strictly in accordance with contract of sale.

• Importance:1. It is the basic document useful in preparation of various other shipping

documents.2. It is used in various export formalities such as quality and pre-shipment

inspection, excise and customs procedure, etc.3. It is also useful in negotiation of documents for collection and claim of

incentives.4. It is useful for accounting purposes to both exporters as well as importers.

Packing List

• The exporter prepares the packing list to facilitate the buyer to check the shipment. It contains the detailed description of the goods packed in each case, their gross and net weight, etc.

• The difference between a packing note and a packing list is that the packing note contains the particulars of the contents of an individual pack, while the packing list is a consolidated statement of the contents of a number of cases or packs.

• Normally, 10 copies of the packing note/list should be prepared. The first is to be sent with the shipping documents, two copies in advance to the buyer, one to the shipping agent and remaining retained by the exporter.

Mate’s Receipt– Mate’s receipt is a receipt issued by the commanding officer of the

ship when the cargo is loaded on the ship. The mate’s receipt is a prima facie evidence that goods are loaded in the vessel. The mate’s receipt is first handed over to the port trust authorities.

– After making payments of all dues, the exporter or his agent collects the mate’s receipt from the port trust authorities.

– The mate’s receipt is freely transferable.– Bill of lading is prepared on the basis of mate’s receipt.– Types of Mate’s Receipt:1. Clean Mate’s Receipt: The commanding officer of the ship issues the

clean mate’s receipt, if he is satisfied that the goods are packed properly and there is no defect in the packing of the cargo or package.

2. Qualified Mate’s Receipt: The commanding officer of the ship issues a qualified mate’s receipt, when the goods are not packed properly and the shipping company does not take any responsibility of damage to the goods during transit.

• Importance:1. It is an acknowledgement of goods

received for export on board the ship.2. It is a transferable document. It must be

handed over to the shipping company in order to get the bill of lading.

3. Bill of Lading, which is the title of goods, is prepared on the basis of the mate’s receipt.

4. It enables the exporter to clear port trust dues to the Port Trust Authorities.

Bill of Lading

• Bill of Lading is a document issued by the shipping company or its agent acknowledging the receipts of goods on board of vessel, and undertaking to deliver of goods in the like order and condition as received, to the consignee or his order, provided the freight and other charges as specified in the bill have been duly paid.

• It is freely transferable by endorsement and delivery.• A bill of lading serves three main purposes:1. As a document of title to the goods;2. As a receipt from the shipping company; and3. As a contract for the transportation of goods.

Types of Bill of Lading:1. Clean Bill of Lading: A bill of lading acknowledging receipt of the goods

apparently in good order and condition and without any qualification is termed as clean bill of lading.

2. Claused Bill of Lading: A bill of lading qualified with certain adverse remarks such as, “goods insufficiently packed in accordance with the carriage of goods by Sea Act,” is termed as a claused bill of lading.

3. Transhipment or Through Bill of Lading: When the carrier uses other transport facilities, such as rail, road or another steamship company in addition to his own, the carrier issues a through or transhipment bill of lading.

4. Stale Bill of Lading: A bill of lading that has been held too long before it is passed on to a bank for negotiation or to the consignee is called a stale bill of lading.

5. Freight paid Bill of Lading: When freight is paid at the time of shipment or in advance, the bill of lading is marked, freight paid.

6. Freight Collect Bill of Lading: When the freight is not paid and is to be collected from the consignee on the arrival of the goods, the bill of lading is marked, freight collect and is known as freight collect bill of lading.

Importance (for exporters)

1. It is the contract between the shipper and the shipping company for the carriage of goods to the port of destination.

2. It is an acknowledgement indicating that the goods mentioned in the document have been received on board for the purpose of shipment.

3. A clean bill of lading certifies that the goods received on board the ship are in order and good condition.

4. It is useful in claiming incentives offered by the government to exporters.

5. The exporters can claim damages from the shipping company if the goods are lost or damaged after the issue of a clean bill of lading.

Importance (Importers)1. It acts as document of title to goods, which is transferable by

endorsement and delivery.2. The exporter sends the bill of lading to the bank of the importer so as

to enable him to take the delivery of goods.3. The exporter can give an advance intimation to the foreign buyer

about the shipment of goods by sending him a non-negotiable copy of bill of lading.

Importance (For Shipping Company) It is useful to the shipping company for collection of transport

charges from the importer, if not collected from the exporter.

Certificate of Origin

• The importers in several countries requires a certificate of origin without which clearance to import is refused. The certificate of origin states that the goods exported are originally manufactured in the country whose name is mentioned in the certificate. Certificate of origin is required when:-

a. The goods produced in a particular country are subject to preferential tariff rates in the foreign market at the time of importation.

b. The goods produced in a particular country are banned for the import in the foreign market.

Types of Certificate of Origin(a) Non-Preferential Certificate of Origin: Non-preferential certificate of origin

is required in general by all countries for clearance of goods by the importer, on which no preferential tariff is given. It is issued by:-

The authorized Chamber of Commerce of the exporting country. Trade Association of the exporting country.(b) Certificate of origin for availing concessions under GSP: Certificate of

origin required for availing of concessions under Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) extended by certain countries such as France, Germany, Italy, BENELUX countries, UK, Australia, Japan, USA, etc. This certificate can be obtained from specialised agencies, namely-

Export Inspection agencies. Jt. Director General of foreign trade. Commodity boards and their regional office. Development Commissioner, Handicrafts. Textile committes for textile products. Marine Product Export Development Authority for marine products. Development Commissioner of EPZs.

© Certificate for Availing concessions under Commonwealth Preferences (CWP): Certificate of origin for the purpose of Commonwealth Preference is also known as ‘combined certificate of origin and value’. It is required by two member countries, i.e., Canada and New Zealand of the commonwealth. For concession under commonwealth preferences, the certificate of origin have to be submitted in special forms obtainable from the high commission of the country concerned.

(d) Certificate for availing concessions under other systems of preference: Certificate of origin is also required for tariff concessions under the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP), Bangkok Agreement (BA) and SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) under which India grants and receive tariffs concessions on imports and exports. Export inspection council (EIC) is the sole authority to print blank certificates of origin under BA, SAARC and SAPTA which can be issued by such agencies as EPCs, DCs, of EPZs, EIC, APEDA, MPEDA, FIEO, etc.

Significance of the Certificate of Origin1. Certificate of origin is required for availing of

concessions under Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) as well as under Commonwealth Preferences (CWP).

2. It is to be submitted to the customs for the assessment of duty and clearance of goods with concessional duties.

3. It is required when the goods produced in a particular country are banned for import in the foreign market.

4. It helps the buyer in adhering to the import regulations of the country.

5. Sometimes, in order to ensure that’s good bought from some other country have not been reshipped by a seller, a certificate of origin is required.

Shipping Bill• Shipping Bill is the main customs document, required by the customs

authorities for granting permission for the shipment of goods. The cargo is moved inside the dock area only after the shipping bill is duly stamped, i.e., certified by the customs. Shipping bill is normally prepared in five copies:

1. Customs copy.2. Drawback copy.3. Export promotion copy.4. Port trust copy.5. Exporter’s copy.

Types of Shipping Bill:-1. Drawback Shipping bill: It is useful for claiming the customs drawback

against goods exported.2. Dutiable Shipping Bill: This bill is required for goods which are subject to

export duty.3. Duty-free Shipping Bill: It is useful for exporting the goods on which there is

no export duty.

Importance of Shipping Bill

1. Shipping bill is the main customs document, required by the customs authorities for granting permission for the shipment of goods.

2. The cargo is moved inside the dock area only after the shipping bill is duty stamped, i.e., certified by the customs.

3. Duly endorsed shipping bill is also necessary for the collection of export incentives offered by the government.

4. It is useful to the customs Appraiser while determining the actual value of goods expoerted.

Consular Invoice• This is invoice is the most important document, which needs

to be submitted for certification to the embassy of the importing country concerned. The main purpose of the consular invoice is to enable the authorities of the importing country to collect accurate information about the volume, value, quality, grade, source, etc., of the goods imported for the purpose of assessing import duties and also for statistical purposes.

• In order to obtain consular invoice, the exporter is required to submit three copies of invoice to the consulate of the importing country concerned. The Consulate of the importing country certifies them in return for fees. One copy of the invoice is given to the exporter while the other two are dispatched to the customs office of the importer’s country for the calculation of the import duty. The exporter negotiates a copy of the consular invoice to the importer alongwith other shipping documents.

Importance (Exporters)1. It facilitates quick clearance of goods from the customs in exporter’s as

well as importer’s country.2. Certification of goods by the Consulate of the importing country

indicates that the importer has fulfilled all procedural and licensing formalities for import of goods.

3. It also assures the exporter of the payment from the importing country.

Importance (Importers)1. It facilitates quick clearance of goods from the customs at the port of

destination and therefore, the importer gets quick delivery of goods.2. The importer is assured that the goods imported are not banned for

import in his country.

Importance (Customs Office)1. It makes the task of the customs authorities easy.2. It facilitates quick calculation of duties as the value of goods as

determined by the Consulate is considered for the purpose.

Bill of Entry• Bill of entry is a document, which states that the goods of the stated

values and description in the specified quantity have entered into the country from abroad. The bill of entry is drawn in triplicate.

• The customs authorities may ask the importer to supply other documents like invoice, broker’s note and insurance policy, etc. in order to verify the correctness of the information supplied in the bill of entry form.

1. Free goods:- where the goods imported are not subject to any customs duty.

2. Goods for Home Consumption:- Where the goods imported for self consumption.

3. Bonded Goods:- Where the goods imported are subjects to customs duty, the goods are kept in bond till the duty is paid.The importer has to fill up a separate bill of entry form for different form for different classes of goods. In India, separate forms are not used but all the entries are made in one form. The free goods are marked as free in the entry form itself. The importer has to pay the duty before securing the possessions of the goods.

Airway Bill• Airway bill, also called as an air consignment note, is a receipt issued by

an airline for the carriage of goods. As each shipping company has its own bill of lading, so each airline has its own airway bill.

• Airway bill or air consignment note is not treated as a document of title and is not issued in negotiable form.

• Importance:-1. It is contract between the airlines or his agent to carry goods to the

destination.2. It is the document of instructions for the airline handling staff.3. It acts as a customs declaration form.4. Since, it contains details about freight it also represents freight bill.

GR Form• GR form is an exchange control document required by the reserve bank of

India. As per the exchange control regulations, an exporter has to realize the proceeds of the goods he has exported within 180 days of their shipment from India.

• GR form is to be submitted in duplicate to the Customs at the port of shipment along with shipping bill. Customs will give their running serial number on both the copies after admitting the customs shipping bill. Customs authorities will certify the value declared by the exporter on both the copies of the GR form at the space earmarked and will also record the assessed value. They will then return the duplicate copy of the form to the exporter and retain the original for transmission to the RBI. Within 21 days from the shipments of goods, exporter must lodge the duplicate of GR together with relative shipping documents with the authorized dealer named in the GR form for negotiation of export bills.

• After the documents have been negotiated, the authorized dealer will report the transaction to the RBI. The duplicate copy of GR form together with a copy of invoice will be retained by the authorized dealer till full exports proceeds have been realized and thereafter submitted to the RBI.

• On account of introduction of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system a certain customs offices were shipping bills are processed electronically, the existing declaration in GR form has been replaced by a declaration in form SDF (Statutory Declaration Form).

Mate’s receipt v/s bill of lading1. Meaning:- Mate’s receipt is a

receipt issued by the commanding officer of the ship when the cargo is loaded on the ship.

2. Purpose:- It is issued in order to enable the exporter or his agent to secure bill of lading from the shipping company.

3. Issuing Authority:- It is issued by the Commanding officer of the ship or his mate.

4. Evidence:- It is an evidence of goods having been loaded on board the ship.

1. Meaning:- Bill of lading is the official document issued by the shipping company acknowledging the receipt of goods on board the vessel.

2. Purpose:- It is issued in order to enable the importer to take the delivery of goods at the port of destination.

3. Issuing authority:- It is issued by the shipping company or its agent.

4. Evidence:- It is a contract between the shipper and the shipping company for the carriage of goods to port of destination.

5. Types:- It is of two types-

(a) Clean Mate’s Receipt

(b) Qualified Mate’s Receipt.

6. Details of Freight:- It does not specify whether the freight is paid on goods or not.

7. Title of goods:- It is not a document of title of goods.

8. Negotiability:- It is not a negotiable document.

9. Sequence:- It is prepared before the bill of lading.

5. Types:- Several types-

(a) Clean and claused B/L.

(b) Stale B/L.

6. Details of Freight:- It does specify whether bill of lading is freight paid or not.

7. Title of goods:- It is a document of title of goods.

8. Negotiability:- It is a negotiable instrument.

9.Sequence:- It is prepared on the basis of the mate’s receipt.

Certificate of Origin v/s Consular Invoice

1. Meaning:- Certificate of origin states that the goods exported are originally manufactured in the country whose name is mentioned in the certificate.

2. Purpose:- (a) for claiming the benefits of preferential tariff rates.(b) in case goods produced in a particular country are banned for import in the foreign market.

3. Legislation:- It does not require any legislation from the consulate of the importing country situated in the exporting country.

4. Issuing Authority:- It is issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Export Promotion Councils or Authorized Trade association.

1. It is a certificate issued by the consulate of importer’s country situated in the exporter’s country certifying the volume, value, quality, etc., of the goods imported.

2. Consular invoice is required in order to provide accurate information about the volume, value, quality, etc., of the goods imported to the authorities of the importing country for the purpose of assessing import duties.

3. It does requires legislation from the Consulate of the importing country situated in the exporting country.

4. It is issued only by the Consulate of the importer’s country situated in the exporter’s country.

Commercial Invoice v/s Consular Invoice

1. Meaning:- Commercial Invoice is the statement of account of sale prepared by the exporter after the execution of export order giving details about the goods shipped.

2. Purpose:- In preparation of various

shipping documents. In Pre-shipment inspection,

excise and customs clearance. In negotiation of documents for

collection and claim of incentives.

1. Consular invoices is a certificate issued by the Consulate of the importer’s country situated in the exporter’s country certifying the volume, value, quality, grade, sources, etc., of the goods imported.

2. It is required in order to provide accurate information about the volume, quality, grade, value, source, etc., of the goods imported to the authorities of the importing country for the purpose of assessing import duties.

3. Significance:- It is a primary document and is required for the preparation of various other shipping documents.

4. Contents:- It contains the terms and conditions of sale as well as detailed description of the goods to be exported.

5. Cost:- since, it is prepared by the exporter himself he needs not to pay any charges for the same.

3. It is a secondary document and as such is required when desired by the importer.

4. It contains accurate information about the volume, value, quality, grade, source, etc., of the goods exported.

5. It is issued by the Consulate of the importing country in return for a nominal fees.